The Secret Suicides of Oregon

Oregons public health division has released statistics on deaths under its physician-assisted suicide (PAS) legislation. It shows a steady increase in the number of lethal prescriptions and in the number of deaths. In 1998, the first year after PAS was legalised, there were 24 prescriptions and 16 deaths. In 2011, there were 114 prescriptions and 71 deaths. A total of 935 people have had lethal prescriptions and 596 have died.

62 doctors wrote 114 prescriptions, with some writing up to 14 prescriptions each. Some doctors knew the patient for only one week before writing the prescriptions. It is known that some doctors are prominent prescribers of lethal barbiturates for assisted suicide.

The report states 9 people with prescriptions written in previous years ingested medication during 2011″. The term previous years indicates that some received prescriptions during multiple years prior to 2011 (such as in 2010, 2009 or earlier). In short, some individuals had the prescription for longer than a year before ingesting the drugs, far longer than the laws 6-months life expectancy guidelines. Some patients lived as long as 872 days after requesting assisted suicide. Clearly, the laws guidelines are meaningless; not all who receive these prescriptions are terminal.

As has occurred in prior years, not all who attempt to take the drugs will die. Two patients ingested the medication but failed to die. Each regained consciousness and died more than a day later, 30 hours and 38 hours respectively, of their underlying illness; they were not considered to have died from the ingested drugs. These are not easy drugs to take, they are bitter and foul-tasting, and vomiting does occur despite anti-emetics..

As in previous years, there was virtually no formal evaluation for underlying depression, anxiety or other serious mental health issue. Only one of the 71 patients was referred for psychiatric evaluation. OHSU researchers in 2008 reported that 25% of patients requesting assisted suicide were considered to be depressed. Are we failing to recognize and address the despair that is frequently found in patients near the end of life? What are we doing to protect these vulnerable Oregonians?

As in previous years, pain has not been a major concern; only one third of patients had inadequate pain control or concern about it. The most commonly expressed concerns of those dying from physician-assisted suicide were unchanged from previous reports: less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable, losing autonomy, and loss of dignity.

In only 6 cases was the prescribing physician present at the time of ingestion, in 3 other cases another provider was present. Thus, very little is known or reported regarding events at the time of ingestion of the medications. For 62 patients there was either no provider present or the information regarding presence of a provider was unknown. Physicians appear to be disengaged with patients at the end.

In essence then, complications were unknown for 59 patients, and any information regarding minutes between ingestion and unconsciousness and death was unknown for 63 patients.

The shroud of secrecy surrounding assisted suicide is heavier than ever. With each passing year, Oregonians know less and less about what is really happening with assisted suicides in the state. The proper practice of all aspects of medicine requires adequate oversight and peer review. We do not have that with physician-assisted suicide in Oregon.

BioEdge is a weekly newsletter about cutting-edge bioethical issues. Based in the Southern Hemisphere but speaking to the world, BioEdge is completely independent. It is designed and maintained by volunteers and financed by supporters and contributors. It is published by New Media Foundation, which also publishes MercatorNet, a website promoting human dignity, andFamily Edge, a newsletter about family issues. These are our aims

* to promote human dignity as the foundation of bioethics * to promote evidence-based ethics in medicine * to show that medical excellence is not possible without ethical principles * to provide high-quality, up-to-date information * to facilitate the participation of health professionals in policy debates

Bishop Robert F. Morneau in ‘Staying on the Right Path’ an article about Matthew10:16. The first paragraph,

“Jesus was a realist. The world, although “charged with the grandeur of God,” is also an environment scarred by sin and evil. There are wolves that do violence to the sheep: there are individuals and nations that misuse the gift of freedom. For centuries Christian writers spoke of life as a warfare, a battle unto death.”

6
posted on 04/02/2012 10:44:57 PM PDT
by gghd
(A Pro-life Palinista & a member of the NRA)

I just observed the death/murder of my stepfather.
Sick cult of “care giving hospice workers”
I had no idea he was being “morphined” to death until the evening of his demise. Two days after an eight day hospital
stay for a “terminal” diagnosis of mesothelioma.
It was disgusting. He was taken off of all his meds, given a tranquilizer when he got home. Morphine dose doubled in the space of 24 hours on the recommendation of hospice “helpers” . Dead within two days of being released from hospital. Monday morning his specialists were calling to confirm appointments and were stunned to learn he had “died”.
He did not want to die. Was not in pain. And was undergoing regular maintenance draining of his lungs.
This law is sick and immoral. One only needs a “terminal” diagnosis and then it’s OK to have your spouse or caregiver
to kill you off. There is a whole community of ghouls that get their thrills off of killing “terminal” patients.
Methods of treatment were not even given a chance.
I believe he had lived with mesothelioma for decades.
He was given incorrect medication that clouded his thought and was off of it for one day before being given tranquilizers. And then morphine.
Sorry about rambling. But it is hugely painful to have watched a premature death because he met the legal criteria of terminal.

why should a doctor be present? we aren’t experts at executing people. Indeed, some of us would feel we needed to save their lives as soon as they passed out, figuring that they might change their mind if they pull through.(like most depressed suicidal patients do).

My sister lin law works for hospice in Ct. She is not a nurse or medical personnel. I don’t know exactly what she does and haven’t asked her because we aren’t close, but I have been suspicious of the hospice movement in general because of the scenario you described. She is a devout catholic, but I wonder what goes on at these hospices and who is charge (or approves) of the morphine decisions ...

Bishop Robert F. Morneau is still alive, has a Wikipedia page & there is a link on Wiki to the books he has written.

Bishop Morneau currently serves as an auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay.

I quoted the Bishop because it suited my personality. I did not quote the Bishop out of context as all people have been struggling against evil since Adam & Eve. We are The Church Militant & are obligated to ‘conquer’ the world through righteousness, prayer, fasting & alms giving.

The Roman Catholic Church was born from the Heart of Jesus Christ on The Cross, Catechism pp#766, “..As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam’s side, so the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.”

The Heart of God is eternal.

12
posted on 04/03/2012 10:17:05 AM PDT
by gghd
(A Pro-life Palinista & a member of the NRA)

Your post struck me because I remember the hospital staff trying to push morphine onto my own father, even though he had no pain, either. We had to continually fight them off. They kept insisting he needed it, and he kept telling them he had no pain. We also had to continually fight off hospice.

My family was suspicious of hospice because a family friend who was considered terminal was visited by hospice. They kept trying to talk him into morphine, and he kept refusing. Six months later, he was still alive; a year later, he finally agreed to morphine, and he was gone shortly afterward.

But, based on experiences within my extended family, it seems the overdose of morphine has been happening for many years, even before there was hospice. (There has been a lot of cancer in my extended family.)

After watching what happened to other relatives and finally my own father, when it was my turn to be the patient, I was very paranoid about narcotics. I refused morphine after the first surgery, and I refused it again during another hospital stay. But, the last surgery was so painful that I was pleading for narcotics when I woke up.

I am very sorry for your loss. I pray that, in time, your family will find peace and the happy memories of your stepfather will live on.

But it is hugely painful to have watched a premature death because he met the legal criteria of terminal.

I am so sorry for your loss, and for his. These are the times when we see and feel how precious life is.

My husband was finally sent home from the hospital to die at home, terminal lung cancer. The morphine eased his immense pain. In the last few minutes he was looking at someone/something over my shoulder. His gaze was fixed, intent, not fearful. Then he closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

Our health care system is wonderful for the dying, having experienced it with my father and aunt as well. It made me appreciate how peaceful those last days can be...even for me, the observer.

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